Post by Krillin on Nov 8, 2010 21:38:10 GMT -5
Chapter 31:
Mystery Revealed
"How in the world did you guys know I was going to be here?" asked Goku, landing on top of the crater.
"This guy told us," said Bulma. "He's a mystery man."
"But how?" The others weren't prepared for this. They'd expected Goku to know about this guy, not be completely clueless.
"He knew the exact time and place of your arrival," said Bulma.
"That's impossible. We've never even met!"
"He must have been tracking your ship in outer space!"
"I don't know," said Goku, putting his hand to his chin. "Frieza tried to do that, but I could sense his energy level as he passed me. He sure was in a hurry to beat me home." Goku gave his son a smile. "But I knew with Gohan here, I had nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, but this guy helped Gohan," said Piccolo. "They turned into Super Saiyans and picked Frieza apart."
"A Super Saiyan?" he asked, looking the stranger over. "That's fantastic! I mean, I knew Gohan could do it, but another one? I guess I really didn't have anything to worry about."
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" asked Vegeta angrily. "You, your son and I are the only Saiyans left!"
"But he was a Super Saiyan, dad," said Gohan.
"Well, if he says he's a Super Saiyan," said Goku, "then that's good enough for me."
"Honestly, Goku, you take things way too lightly," said Bulma, shaking her head.
"Goku, Gohan," said the stranger. "Could I have a word with you two?"
"Us?" asked the two Sons together.
"Yes. In private."
"Alright then," said Goku. "Gohan, let's go."
"Right," said Gohan, following the stranger and his dad.
"Hey!" shouted Yamcha. "What's this guy trying to say?"
"We'll be right back!" shouted Goku, waving to the others. The three of them took off towards the far side of the crater caused by Goku's space ship.
"Thanks, guys," said the stranger.
"No problem," said Goku. "But shoot, I should be thanking you for helping Gohan beat Frieza. I had a chance to finish him, but I was only fooling myself, thinking he might change."
"Nope, not him," said the stranger. "He was out of control and you were supposed to stop him. When he landed and you weren't around, I had to step in. I didn't know about Gohan, and didn't think you'd make it."
Goku put a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Yeah, but I knew with Gohan here, I didn't have a thing to worry about. But I was ready to make my move at any moment."
"And just how were you going to make a move when you were two hours away in space?"
"Well, thanks to a technique I learned, I could have been there in seconds." Gohan looked at his father in awe.
"Are you serious?" asked the stranger, his eyes widening slightly.
"Yeah. It's called Instant Transmission."
The stranger turned to face Goku in shock. "You mean time travel?"
"No, you dematerialize and travel as a mass of light. You'd be surprised how much ground you can cover going 186,000 miles per second."
"No kidding? I had no idea you had that ability." Gohan was staring at his father, wondering where he picked up such a technique.
"Yeah, the people on Yardrat taught it to me. They weren't very strong, but they knew some amazing techniques."
"Man, what a bummer," said the stranger. "If I had known you didn't need help with Frieza, I could have come to you while you were alone and avoided the risk of meeting all the others."
"The risk?" asked Gohan. "What do you mean?"
"I don't mind answering that question, but first I have some of my own," said the stranger. "Goku, I know Gohan can, but can you transform into a Super Saiyan at will?"
"Well, at first I wasn't able to," said Goku. "It happened spontaneously. But now I can control it."
"All right then," said the stranger. "Can you show me?"
-DBZ: SGTW-
"I wonder what they're talking about." said Krillin. "They look pretty serious."
They're probably laughing at me, thought Vegeta. Me, the Prince of all Saiyans, the only Saiyan not a Super Saiyan.
-DBZ: SGTW-
"Okay," said Goku, a small smirk on his face. He powered up, transforming, sending some of the others into shock. "Are you satisfied?"
"Yes," said the stranger. "Today's been great for reminding me what it's like looking from the outside in."
"So, what now?" asked Goku.
"Gohan, would you transform?" asked the stranger. "I want to compare your and your dad's power levels."
"Right," said Gohan, transforming into a Super Saiyan.
Goku looked at his son, a smile on his face. My son is a Super Saiyan!
"I can't tell who's stronger," said the stranger, sensing their power levels. "There's only one way to find out." He transformed as well and drew his sword. "I've seen how Gohan fights, but now I want to see you fight." He swung his sword at Goku, who didn't even move. The stranger stopped to avoid hitting him.
"Why didn't you try and block it?" asked the stranger.
"I searched your feelings," said Goku, "and knew you were going to stop."
The stranger lowered his sword. "Yes, I see. This time, I'm not going to stop. You understand?"
"As you wish." Goku raised one finger and charged it with energy.
The stranger tried to hit Goku, who simply blocked the sword with his finger. After multiple more tries, and multiple more blocks, the stranger pulled back.
He dropped his transformation, throwing his sword into the air. "Awesome. Everything I've heard is true. You're good- no, you're great!" He leaned slightly to the side, his sword landing perfectly in it's sheath.
Gohan and Goku each dropped their transformations.
"I feel like I can trust you two," said the stranger, smiling. "I had to know that for sure."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"Man," said Yamcha. "Goku and Gohan are spectacular! And that other guy's no pushover compared to them either!"
Vegeta simply simmered in frustration. Blast you, Kakarot.
-DBZ: SGTW-
"I'm sorry about all of the secrecy," said the stranger, "but I really need both your words that you won't tell anybody else what I'm about to say."
"Well, I've never had a problem keeping secrets," said Goku, "but sure, you have my word."
"Mine too," said Gohan.
"Thank you," said the stranger. "My name is Trunks. This is going to sound really strange, but I'm not from this time. I traveled here in a time machine 20 years from the future."
"Really?" asked Goku, looking at Trunks with interest. "From the future? That's incredible!"
"Yes, Vegeta was right. Only he and you two have Saiyan blood. And I got mine from him. He's my father."
"WHAT?" shouted Goku as Gohan fell backwards onto the ground in shock. "YOU'RE KIDDING! WOW! YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT VEGETA'S YOUR FATHER?"
"Yes," said Trunks. "I'm half-Saiyan, half-Earthling, just like Gohan."
"Wow, Vegeta's son," said Gohan. The two Sons turned and studied Vegeta intently.
"Yes, I can see the resemblance!" said Goku.
"I will be born two years from now," said Trunks.
"Man!" said Goku, still staring at Vegeta. "Vegeta's going to be a daddy! Who would have thought-"
"Goku," said Trunks, interrupting Goku's ramble. "I didn't come here to tell you that. I have to talk to you about something." Goku and Gohan turned to face Trunks again.
"In three years, on the morning of May 12th, a horribly destructive duo will show up on an island nine miles southwest of South City. They have dreadful power, even by our standards. They're monsters. That's the best way I know to describe them. Once this pair surfaces, the Earth and everything you hold dear will be gone."
"What's the deal?" asked Goku, Gohan letting his father take lead. "Are they aliens?"
"No. They're both androids created right here on Earth. Their creator is Gero. Dr. Gero, the mastermind behind the old Red Ribbon Army. Do you remember?"
"Yeah!" said Goku. "I defeated them!"
-DBZ: SGTW-
"Man, for three guys who don't know each other," said Bulma, staring at the three, "they sure have a lot to talk about."
"Hey, talking isn't bad," said Krillin. "At least it's better than fighting."
"At least that one guy doesn't have his sword out anymore," said Yamcha.
"Yeah, and Goku put his finger away too."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"No way, same guy?" asked Goku. "But how? He lived?"
"Yes, thanks to you," said Trunks, his voice taking a bit of an edge. "That's one battle you're going to wish you'd fought to the very end. Look, I'm sorry to say that, Goku. I know you're a good person. But letting Dr. Gero escape is a mistake that will come back to haunt you and every one you know. He's probably working on that pair right now. It's hard to describe these androids, Goku. They're unlike anything you've ever faced."
"What's his plan?" asked Gohan. "What's Dr. Gero trying to accomplish with them?"
"No one really knows. The moment those things were able to think for themselves they rebelled. And they've had their own twisted, merciless agenda ever since then. They delight in causing pain and chaos. Living on Earth in my time is like living in a nightmare."
"Man," said Goku, "You and Gohan defeated Frieza in a flash, but from what you're saying these androids are even stronger than you."
"They are," said Trunks, lowering his head. "Hunting me down is one of their favorite hobbies. But it's two against one, and there's not much I can do except run."
"What about us and the others?" asked Gohan. "Aren't they helping you?"
"They can't," said Trunks. "They're dead. In three years, the Earth's Special Forces will be dead. Vegeta, Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Krillin, Piccolo. They're all going to lose their lives in a horrible battle. There will be only one survivor, and he's the one who trained me."
"Who is it?" asked Gohan.
"I... I can't say..." said Trunks. "It doesn't matter."
"You don't need to say it," said Gohan, thinking. "I noticed while we were fighting Frieza that you were fighting like you'd fought alongside me before. You even did some moves of Piccolo's that I recognized. I was your master, wasn't I?"
Goku and Trunks looked at Gohan in shock. Slowly, Trunks nodded his head. "But you weren't nearly as strong then as you are now. Somehow, someway, this time line is different than my own. In my time line, you didn't achieve Super Saiyan until after the battle, when you saw your family and friends were dead. That's one thing I was meaning to ask you. How did you get so strong so fast?"
"Well, I've been training with dad for as long as I can remember," answered Gohan. "Then Piccolo taught me. Then on Namek I became a Super Saiyan."
"That might account for some of the differences," said Trunks. "In my time line, your mother didn't let you train as a child. Your very first teacher was when Piccolo kidnapped you."
"Wow, you mean the me from your world didn't train with dad?" asked Gohan. "That's how mom wanted it, but you talked her into letting me train, didn't you, dad?"
"Yeah, I did," said Goku. "She wasn't too happy about it, let me tell you."
"Thirteen years after the battle," said Trunks, continuing with the story, "Gohan met his end at the hands of the androids. That was four years ago in my time. And, as you know, Piccolo is gone, so there's no chance of reviving anyone with the Dragon Balls."
"Hey, Trunks!" said Goku, realizing his name had not been included in the list of casualties. "What happens to me? Do I die in the battle too?"
Trunks looked at Goku. "No. You die before it. Not too long from now you're going to catch a new virus that attacks the heart. You're going to die from it."
Goku and Gohan both stared at Trunks in shock.
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It's a radical virus, not even a Super Saiyan can beat it."
"Darn it!" shouted Goku. "I want to fight those androids!"
"You mean after everything you've heard, you still want to fight those androids?" asked Trunks in shock.
"Yeah. Maybe I could make a difference!"
"Guy like you probably could," said Trunks, smiling. "My mother and Gohan were right about you, Goku. I really can trust you. I'm glad I can." He took a bottle out of his jacket. "Here you go. Take this. It's for your health, man. It's an antidote to the virus you're going to catch. In my time, there's a cure."
"WOW!" shouted Goku, ecstatic.
"I shouldn't be doing this, Goku," said Trunks. "It's going to change history. But some history should change. Things are pretty bad. But my mother told me you could make a difference. And now I know it too."
"Your mother knows me?" asked Goku. "Am I going to meet her, or do I already know her now?"
"Now," said Trunks, lowering his head.
"Wow! I know your mom! That's bizarre! Does she live by me or something?"
"She's standing right over there," said Trunks, pointing at the others.
"BULMA!" shouted Goku as both he and Gohan fell to the ground, laughing their heads off. "BULMA'S YOUR MOTHER?"
-DBZ: SGTW-
"That guy just pointed his finger and Kakarot and the kid fell down!" said Vegeta in shock.
"I could have sworn I heard Goku yell my name," said Bulma.
-DBZ: SGTW-
"Bulma and Vegeta?" asked Goku as he climbed to his feet. Gohan wasn't able to do that yet, as he was trying to catch his breath.
"They don't stay together long," said Trunks, blushing. "It's more of a passion thing. My mom and Yamcha split up, and she falls in love with my dad. Of course, he can never admit that he loves my mother."
"No shock there," said Goku. "I know them and they're the feistiest two people I know."
"I don't remember my dad, so it's really great that I get to meet him," said Trunks, looking at Vegeta. "He's a cranky guy, but he's impressive." He turned his attention to the other two. "I know it's bizarre, but they'll find their way to each other pretty soon. But if they get wind of it, it might not happen. Promise you won't tell them, Goku, Gohan, or I might not be born."
"Don't worry," said Goku. Behind him, Gohan held up a thumbs-up, still having difficulty breathing.
"Well, I'd better be off. My mother's been worried sick about me, and I'd better tell her everything went OK."
"Tell her I send my love," said Goku. He held up the bottle containing the antidote. "And thanks for this."
Trunks nodded and took off.
"Dad," said Gohan, climbing to his feet. "What are going to tell the others?"
"I'm not completely sure yet, Gohan," said Goku. "But we need to tell them they need to train hard for three years. But how much should we?"
The others had come running over. "So, what did that guy say?" asked Yamcha. "Who is he? Where's he from?"
"Uh, he didn't say anything important," said Goku, scratching the back of his head.
"It all sounded pretty important to me," said Piccolo. Goku and Gohan looked at him in shock.
"You heard everything?"
"My ears don't just frame my face, Goku," said Piccolo. "If you're not going to tell us and give us the chance to change our destinies, then I'm going to."
"But, Piccolo- didn't you hear him-" said Gohan.
"I won't say anything to endanger your friend, guys, but we deserve to know."
-DBZ: SGTW-
Later...
-DBZ: SGTW-
"And that's the whole story," said Piccolo. "In three years, all of us except Gohan are supposed to die in a battle with the androids. But now that we know, maybe we can change that."
"What a kook!" said Yamcha. "He's cracked! Don't you think?" he asked Bulma.
"I'm not so sure," replied Bulma.
"Look, believe what you want to believe," said Piccolo. "As for me, I want to live. So I'm going to train. You can risk it, but I'm going to be prepared."
"Look!" said Krillin, spotting something. "There he is!"
They followed Krillin's gaze and saw Trunks sitting in his time machine. He waved a hand goodbye, and vanished, off to the future once again.
"Man, I'm going to train, you guys," said Tien.
"Me too," said Yamcha.
"Yeah, I am too," said Krillin.
Vegeta barred his teeth. Another Super Saiyan. I've got to have it. I've got to experience it!
Chapter 32:
Z-Warriors Prepare
Yamcha glared at the capsule where Vegeta was training. He stopped practicing punches and began to walk over to the capsule. "I've got to see what Vegeta's up to in there. He thinks he's so tough training in that little capsule of his training at 300x Earths Gravity. Well, I'll show him that he's not half as tough as he pretends to be. I'll show him that I can be just as tough as he is."
He walked up to the window and looked in. Everything inside was shivering from the intense gravity.
"Initiate Gravity Simulation," said the gravity machine.
From what he saw, Vegeta was struggling to remain standing. Five robots were floating around him. Vegeta shot an energy blast at one, which deflected it towards another. It kept bouncing between the robots, occasionally heading towards Vegeta, who managed to dodge it. Finally, the blast made contact, and Vegeta hit the ground.
Vegeta managed to get his feet. He exploded his energy around him, destroying the robots.
Yamcha threw himself backwards, trying to avoid being blinded by the light. "Boy, talk about your radical training programs!"
-DBZ: SGTW-
Piccolo watched Gohan and Goku spar. They were both far stronger than he was, despite the fact that he'd improved in the past one and a half years since Trunks had warned them of the androids. He'd been training with them since he didn't really have any other options. Krillin and the other humans were far too weak. Vegeta would be a pretty even partner, but the Saiyan refused to allow anyone to train with him. So he'd come here with Goku and Gohan, where he would at least be guaranteed one heck of a workout.
Of course, Chi-Chi hadn't taken too kindly to the fact that Piccolo would be around for a while- before he told Gohan how the greatest warriors are both intelligent and strong. And realized he didn't eat, since he was a Namekian.
"Come on, dad," said Gohan after landing a punch on his father's stomach. "You can do better than that."
"Yeah, I know," said Goku. "But the only question is: can you?" He disappeared and reappeared behind his son, smashing him towards the ground.
Piccolo simply grinned. Gohan had gone far beyond him, and still, he and his father treated him as an equal. The complete opposite of Vegeta, who treated everybody like dirt.
Gohan caught himself after flying ten feet. Shooting towards his father, there was a burst of gold as he transformed, his father unable to transform himself in time to prevent Gohan delivering a direct blow to the head. He drew his sword quickly, placing it against his father's neck. "I win."
"Not bad," said Goku as Gohan put his sword back. "I didn't expect you to transform this early in the spar."
-DBZ: SGTW-
Vegeta watched as the robots bounced the energy blast between themselves. Dr. Briefs had repaired the robots, and Vegeta was back to his normal routine.
"I can do this," said Vegeta to himself.
The blast went soaring past him, grazing him. He fell to the ground in pain. He looked up just in time to see the energy blast come soaring at him. Reacting, he shot another energy blast. When the two collided, an explosion rocked the space ship, wrecking it.
Bulma and Yamcha came running out of the house. "Vegeta!" shouted Bulma. She got no answer. She and Yamcha stopped, looking over the destruction.
"I knew this would happen," said Yamcha. "He's been trying to do the impossible."
Bulma began digging through the wreckage. Suddenly, a hand shot out. Bulma backed up into Yamcha, knocking the two of them over. Vegeta pulled himself out of the wreckage and stood up.
"HOW DARE YOU, YOU DWEEB!" shouted Bulma angrily. "YOU ALMOST WRECKED MY HOUSE!"
Vegeta's response was to collapse. Bulma immediately dropped her attitude and ran forward to help him.
"No, I don't need help," said Vegeta. "I've got training to do."
"You've got to stop training for a while!" said Bulma. "I mean, look at you! You're a complete wreck!"
"But I feel fine! I'm a Saiyan! I can take a little pain, it means nothing to me. And I've got to get stronger than Kakarot and his son!"
"Okay, sure. We all know you're a tough guy, but you need to rest now!
"I take orders from no one!" said Vegeta, attempting to rise. He collapsed again, in obvious pain.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Gohan watched as his father and Piccolo sparred. Piccolo was holding up pretty well, but Goku was purposely holding back, not transforming to Super Saiyan.
Piccolo grinned. He knew he was nowhere near the caliber of Goku and Gohan, but at least they were at least giving him a chance. Vegeta would simply have tried to go all out on him from the start, and Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha were all strong, but he was still stronger.
"Not bad, Piccolo," said Goku. "You've improved. You're a lot stronger than you were."
"Thanks, Goku," said Piccolo. Piccolo launched an energy blast at Goku, which made direct contact, causing the Saiyan to plummet towards the ground.
Goku caught himself quickly. He shot back into the fight, not wasting a moment.
Gohan eased himself into a meditative position, already knowing how this fight was going to turn out. His father had a clear advantage in power. Since it was getting late, he knew that he wouldn't get to spar, because after this his father and Piccolo would be ready to call it a day.
I hope the others are training as hard as we are, thought Gohan. Because from what Trunks said, we're going to need all the help we can get against these androids.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Bulma, Yamcha, Dr. Briefs and his wife were at the bedside of Vegeta, who was in an intensive care unit in the CC building.
"Is he going to be alright, daddy?" asked Bulma to her father, kneeling at Vegeta's side.
"I hope so," answered Dr. Briefs. "The only thing he hasn't bruised is his eyebrows. "If he stays in bed for a week or so, he should be alright. It's a miracle he survived such a horrible accident."
"Poor Vegeta," said Mrs. Briefs, crying into a handkerchief. She and Dr. Briefs walked out.
Bulma followed them a moment later.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Krillin frowned as he readied himself for another Kamehameha.
Why did I have to turn down Goku's offer? thought Krillin to himself. At least if I was training with him, Gohan, and Piccolo I'd be getting a good workout. Master Roshi had done absolutely nothing to help Krillin train.
"Ka... me... ha..." began the monk
"HEY, KRILLIN!" shouted Master Roshi from where he was sitting. "Why don't you give it a rest for a while? You know what they say: all work and no play-"
"MEHA!" finished Krillin, drowning out the rest of Master Roshi's words.
-DBZ: SGTW-
The view screen in the newly repaired space ship flickered on, Bulma's image glowering down at Vegeta, who was doing one-finger push-ups, despite the fact that he was heavily bandaged.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked the Saiyan. "You are in no condition to be training."
Vegeta simply ignored her and continued with his push-ups.
"I know you don't want to believe it, but you are made of flesh and blood!" shouted Bulma.
"Stop pestering me," said Vegeta. "Leave me alone!" Just then, he collapsed to the ground, in pain.
"You know that I'm right, so why don't you keep quiet and do as I say!" Vegeta began to climb to his feet. "Nothing to say? Why don't you go back to bed and get some rest."
"Not yet. I do have something to say! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
-DBZ: SGTW-
Three Years Later...
-DBZ: SGTW-
-Morning of May 10th-
The Son Family's phone rang. Chi-Chi had gotten a phone after realizing nobody had any way of contacting her when Gohan had been kidnapped by Piccolo and Goku had died.
Chi-Chi answered, since Goku and Gohan were immersed in their breakfasts. Piccolo had gone off to do his own training a few months ago. In that time, Goku had taught Gohan a few new tricks. "Hello? Oh, hi, Bulma! How are you?"
"Fine, Chi-Chi. The others are all gathering at my place for a little reunion and planning session, and I was wondering if you guys are coming?"
"One moment, let me ask the boys if they don't feel like training today." She turned to Goku and Gohan. "You guys want to go to Capsule Corp. today? The others are all getting together."
Goku and Gohan both looked up from their food for a split second and nodded their approval. "They'll head over as soon as they're finished," said Chi-Chi to Bulma.
"See them in a little."
Chi-Chi set the phone down and resumed the dishes she'd been doing before the phone had rang. With two Saiyans to feed, she had a monumental task getting food ready every day. Of course, today, with Bulma feeding them... she'd be able to relax.
"Alright, Chi-Chi," said Goku getting up. "We'll see you later." The two raised their fingers to their heads and disappeared.
"I hate it when they do that," said Chi-Chi. "Why, Goku, did you have to teach our little boy that Instant Transmission technique?"
-DBZ: SGTW-
"So, Krillin," asked Tien, sitting down opposite him, "how've you been?"
"Oh, busy training," said Krillin. "How about you?"
"Same. Chiaotzu couldn't make it. I don't want to risk him getting hurt. He's just not strong enough."
Just then, they were distracted by Goku and Gohan suddenly appearing in the middle of the room. "Hey, guys," said Goku. "What's up?"
"Goku!" shouted Krillin, walking over to his friend. "It's been a long time. How have you been?"
"Very good," said Goku. "Gohan, Piccolo and I have been training very hard. We're a lot stronger than we were."
"Hey, Krillin," said Gohan from where he was. Krillin turned to face Gohan- then was forced to look up from where he had been expecting to see Gohan's face.
"Man, Gohan. You're a lot taller than you were three years ago!" It was true- the top of the half-Saiyan's hair was even with Krillin's eyes.
Bulma walked in. She spotted Goku and Gohan. "Hey, how did you guys get here so quickly? I set the phone down not two minutes ago!"
"Instant Transmission," said Goku simply. He then noticed the baby Bulma was carrying.
"Hey, Bulma," said Gohan, acting perfectly like he didn't know about the baby beforehand. "Who's the baby? Is he your son, Yamcha?"
"No, he's not mine," said the bandit, crossing his arms, irritated. "Wait until she tells you who the father really is."
"I bet it's Vegeta!" said Goku, walking up to baby Trunks. "Isn't it, Trunks?"
Gohan rolled his eyes. So much for smooth.
"Goku, who told you?" asked Bulma, a little confused. "I wanted to keep it a surprise?"
"While we're on the subject," said Gohan, covering his father's tracks, "where is Vegeta anyways?"
"I'm not sure," said Bulma. "I know he was training to fight the androids, but with the baby and all, I lost track of him."
"He'll be here before the androids appear," said Goku confidently.
Gohan was a little nervous. If Vegeta's managed to reach Super Saiyan, he's going to be coming after me and Dad after we deal with the androids.
They were interrupted by an outburst of laughter from Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin.
"Oh, man," said Yamcha, staring at the television. "What's the world coming to where a guy like that gets that much attention?"
The others looked at the television. There was a man wearing a brown fighting gi celebrating over his latest victory in some tournament. The crowd was eating it up, chanting "MR. SATAN! MR. SATAN!"
"Man, I wish they'd bring back the World Martial Arts Tournament," said Yamcha. "So many good memories of those things.
"Yeah, but they had to rebuild after Goku and Piccolo's fight," said Tien. "Something tells me they don't want another fight like that. It blew up half the city around the stadium!"
The others laughed, reminiscing of old times.
"So, Goku, Gohan," asked Tien. "You guys think you're ready?"
"I hope so," said Goku. "We've done all we can. Chi-Chi hasn't been too happy about us training all the time, let me tell you. Of course, Gohan's been studying as well, so she can't complain too much."
"I just wish we had more time," said Piccolo, walking in at that moment. He surveyed room without any sign of surprise, except a little jump when he saw Trunks (which was faked, as Goku and Gohan knew).
"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Krillin, downcast. "But we still should be grateful for the fact that that kid came and warned us. Otherwise, it'd be his future all over again."
"Maybe not," said Gohan. "That kid said I was far stronger three years ago than I was in his time line at that time. I just wonder how our time lines differed before he came back."
The others were not too interested in this intellectual vein the conversation was starting to take. "Hey, Piccolo," said Yamcha. "Remember your fight with Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament?"
"How could I forget?" asked the Namek, a small smirk on his face.
Just then, Gohan noticed something a little odd on the television screen. It was an old man the cameras had just swept over, by himself not too weird, but for the insignia on his cylinder-like hat.
"Dad, look at that guy on the TV," said Gohan. "See the symbol on his hat? Isn't that the Red Ribbon Army's logo?"
"Yeah, you're right," said Goku. "What's he doing wearing it?"
Bulma bit her lip. She could have sworn she'd seen the old man before, in some magazine, but wasn't certain.
"Do you guys think he could be one of the androids?" asked Yamcha, now completely focused on the screen. "It's not May 12th yet, but maybe the kid was wrong."
"Unless something happens there," said Goku, "we'll assume he's not one of them. But remember what he looks like. Until then, we'll play this through like we never saw him."
The others nodded.
-DBZ: SGTW-
What is the meaning of the mysterious old man? What was he doing at the tournament? And more importantly, are the warriors strong enough to defeat the androids? Find out in the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
Chapter 33:
Androids Appear
"You two be careful," said Chi-Chi to her husband and son.
"Don't worry, mom," said Gohan. "We'll be fine. We're all a lot stronger than we would have been."
Chi-Chi simply smiled. Her son was turning more and more like his father every day- except smarter. He did try to study, too, so she couldn't be mad at him.
The two shot off, heading towards where the Androids were supposed to appear.
They caught up to Krillin relatively quickly. "So, today's the day everything comes down to," said Krillin.
"Yeah," said Goku. "Hard to believe it's really here."
"But we're a lot stronger than we were in the kid's time line," said Gohan. "So we should be able to defeat them."
"If only I'd had more time!" said Krillin. "I could have gotten stronger. There's so much more I could have done!"
"Hey, we've done everything we could," said Goku. "We'll be fine. I wasn't around in that time line, remember?"
Krillin nodded, calming down. Goku's presence had a tendency to have that effect. He was always calm, even going into battle against evils like Frieza and the Saiyans.
"That must be the island!" said Gohan, looking forward. Sure enough, their course was taking them directly towards an island, exactly where Trunks had told them the androids would emerge.
They landed. Piccolo, Yamcha, and Tien were already waiting for them. Bulma was there, but she was going to get out of there if things got rough.
"Hey guys," said Yamcha as the three landed. "Glad you could make it."
"So this is it, huh?" asked Tien. "This is the day we've all been training for."
"Yeah," said Krillin. "You guys think you're ready?"
"I'm as ready as I can get," said Goku. Gohan nodded behind him.
"I wish I had more time," said Krillin. "But it's better to get it over with and face what's coming."
Gohan turned to face Bulma. "So Vegeta's still not back yet?"
She shook her head sadly. "No, he's not. I'm worried. I thought for sure he'd be back by now, and I just don't know what's taking him so long."
Just then, an air car came flying up, and Yajirobe hopped out. "Hey. Korin sent me to give you these." He tossed a bag full of Sensu beans to Goku.
"Thanks, Yajirobe!" said Goku. "You sure you don't want to stay and help us fight the androids?"
"Are you crazy?" The fat warrior climbed back into his air car. "I'm getting out of here before they show up."
"Anyone know what time it is?" asked Tien as Yajirobe took off.
"Yeah, it's 10:17," said Bulma.
"I guess they're not coming after all," said Yamcha, annoyed. "Man, to think I really believed that kid."
"Hey, guys, don't be so literal. It's only 17 minutes after 10."
"I think we would have sensed them by now," said Tien.
Just then, there was an explosion over the city. Looking up, they saw Yajirobe's air car falling out of the sky, trailing smoke.
"THEY'RE RIGHT THERE!" shouted Piccolo. The others followed his gaze and spotted two figures. They went down into the city below.
Gohan raised his fingers to his forehead and vanished, reappearing moments later with Yajirobe.
"Why can't we sense them?" asked Tien.
"Maybe..." said Gohan, getting worried, "we can't because they're androids!"
"Then we'll just have to find them the old fashioned way," said Piccolo.
Goku tossed the Sensu beans to Bulma. "Keep these," he said. "Alright guys, let's go. Raise your power levels if you spot the androids. And if you see that one guy we saw on TV, assume the worst." The six shot off, separating, searching for the androids.
Goku set down, looking around. They saw no sign of the androids anywhere.
Krillin set down directly in front of a skate boarder. He glanced around. Turning to the skate boarder, he asked, "Have you seen anyone weird around here?"
The skate boarder nodded and pointed directly at Krillin. "Yeah, you!"
Meanwhile, Yamcha was running around, looking for anything suspicious, when he heard a scream. Running to investigate, he found numerous dead bodies.
He turned to two people who were looking out of a window. "Did you guys see who did this?"
"There were two of them," said one of them. "They came out of nowhere, then disappeared."
"I must have just missed them," said Yamcha. He turned around and saw two people standing directly behind him. "Hey, have you guys-" then broke off, recognizing the taller of the two. It was the old man from the television.
"It's you!" he said. Jumping backwards, he quickly powered up, alerting the others.
Within seconds, Goku and Gohan had appeared at his side using Instant Transmission, and the others were moving in as fast as they could.
"It's him," said Gohan. "The one on the television. At that tournament."
"These must be the big bad androids," said Piccolo, setting down.
The android from TV looked at Piccolo. "I see I was not stealthy when attending that tournament," he said. "I had expected to find at least a few of you there. But I find it surprising that you know we are androids. Of course, I find it even more surprising that all of you should have anticipated our being here. Tell me, how did you know we would come?"
"If you're so tough, why don't you try and make us?"
"Very well," said the android. The six got into their defensive stances.
"There are way too many innocent people here," said Goku, looking around. "We've got to lead them out of the city."
"Yes," said the android. "It is too crowded here. I agree. Many people could get in our way. I will see to it that they do not." His eyes began to glow red, and laser beams shot out of them.
He shot a gas station, causing a massive explosion. Swiveling his head like a sprinkler of death, the laser beams swept through the city, decimating it.
"STOP IT!" screamed Yamcha, approaching the android. The other android merely grabbed him. Then, after five seconds, he threw him down. Yamcha lay there, shivering.
"His power level dropped significantly," said Piccolo. "He's not going to make it unless we do something!"
"Gohan, take Yamcha to Bulma and get him a Sensu bean," said Goku. "When he's back on his feet, catch up to us."
"Right," said Gohan, grabbing Yamcha. He raised his fingers to his forehead and vanished.
"So," said the taller android. "I cleared the area in accordance with your wishes. Do you disagree with my methods?"
"LEAVE THESE PEOPLE OUT OF THIS!" shouted Goku.
"There are no more people to leave out," said the shorter android.
"Very well," said the taller android. "We shall follow you to a different location, if it is your desire, Goku."
"How did you know his name was Goku?" asked Tien.
"I know all of you. The Namek, Piccolo, the humans, Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin, and the boy, Gohan."
Just then, they were alerted by a pack of police cars racing to the scene. "Let's get acquainted later," said Goku. The four defenders shot into the sky, the androids following."
-DBZ: SGTW-
Bulma was shocked when Gohan suddenly reappeared. He set Yamcha down. "Bulma, Yamcha need a Sensu bean!"
"What happened to him?" asked Bulma, getting one of the beans out.
Gohan took it and put it into Yamcha's mouth. Yamcha swallowed and rose seconds later. He immediately surveyed the destruction.
"They just blew up half the city, and nearly me!" said Yamcha.
"We'd better get going," said Gohan. He watched as the four Z-Warriors and two androids took off. "Dad must have convinced them to leave the city."
Yamcha hesitated for a moment. "Alright. Let's go."
Gohan placed his hand on Yamcha's shoulder, raised his fingers to his head again, and disappeared.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Goku was looking for a good place to fight when he sensed Gohan and Yamcha return. The androids looked at the two in interest.
"This is far enough," said the taller android. "19 and I will fight you here."
"Fine by me," said Goku. There were no towns or people nearby. They set down, surrounding the androids.
Goku was wincing in slight pain. Gohan stared at his father. "You alright, dad?"
"I'm fine," said Goku. "Before we get this little show started, I want to know how you know our names."
"Yes of course," said the taller android, "as you wish. Though I doubt it will matter after a few moments anyways, when you have been ground to a pulp. But if this is the last thing you wish to hear before you die, I will tell you. You have been under close observation for some time, by a highly sophisticated remote tracking device. This device was calibrated to home in on your very distinct energy pattern."
"So you've been spying on me?" asked Goku.
"If that is how you put it, then yes. It was planted on you during the World Martial Arts Tournament, when you were still a boy. From that day forward your every movement was monitored, your fighting technique studied, the secrets of your Kamehameha wave revealed. Over the years Dr. Gero followed your many battles. He witnessed your skills develop at a remarkable rate. By watching, he learned. You were studied until Dr. Gero gathered enough information to create the perfect fighting machine. Powerful machines. Machines fully capable of destroying you, the way you destroyed the Red Ribbon army."
"This is just a grudge?" asked Goku, a little bewildered.
"From the day you defeated the Red Ribbon army, Dr. Gero dreamed only of revenge. We will realize his dream."
"So you're supposed to be one of these perfect fighting machines?" asked Gohan.
"Yes I am. I have been designed by my creator to be superior to you in every possible way. A shame he did not live to see this day."
"I'm curious," said Goku. "Was he spying on me while I was on Planet Namek?"
"There was no more need. By that time Dr. Gero had compiled all of the necessary information concerning your skills. It was assumed your power would continue to increase over that time, so that was factored into our design."
Goku grinned at this. "You might think you know everything there is to know about me, but you're not even close."
"Did your calculations predict that Goku would be a Super Saiyan?" asked Piccolo, smiling.
"Super Saiyan?" asked the android.
Goku started screaming. His eyes turned green, his hair stood up and turned blond, his aura turning golden. "You guys stay out of this. It looks like they only want me, and that's exactly who they're going to get."
"This is a most unexpected development indeed," said the android.
"This technique is not listed in my files, 20," said 19.
"Nor in mine. But my sensors indicate that there is no cause for concern. Yes, it is a most impressive ability, but it is nothing we cannot handle. 19 will demonstrate this by himself." The plump android stepped forward.
"Alright, have it your way," said Goku. "But I wouldn't bank on it if I were you." He shot at the two androids.
18 was ready to deflect the blow when all of a sudden Goku disappeared and reappeared behind him. The android launched a kick at Goku, who blocked it. It tried to launch a few more blows at the Saiyan, but Goku managed to dodge or block them all.
Finally, the android dropped back, hopping over a huge rock formation. Goku leapt after it. The android blew up the top of the mountain using an energy blast. Shooting a second, it thought it had hit the Saiyan, but Goku shot down from directly above it and landed behind it, elbowing it in the back and into a nearby cliff.
"That's it Goku," said Tien, smiling. Android 20's eyes were wide and his teeth clenched together in surprise. Gohan and Piccolo looked on, not saying anything.
Somethings wrong with dad, thought Gohan. He looked at Piccolo, who nodded. He'd noticed it too. Gohan turned his attention back to the fight.
19 climbed out of the rubble and ran at Goku. He stopped the android with one hand, then kicked it into the sky. He disappeared and reappeared behind the android, who turned around and tried to hit Goku. He managed to dodge every punch it threw, then kicked it in the stomach, knocking it backwards.
It flew at him again, and he flipped over and kneed it in the stomach again. He then elbowed it in the face.
"Man, Goku's all over that thing," said Tien.
"He's dominating!" said Krillin. "That thing hasn't even touched him yet."
"He's got it in the bag!" agreed Yamcha, smiling.
"Maybe," said Gohan, watching his father fight.
Meanwhile, Goku was delivering blow after blow to the android, which wasn't fast enough to block any of the blows. He drew back, catching his breath.
"Dad's not even close to his max and he's tired," said Gohan, concerned.
Goku charged back into combat, hitting the android with everything he had again. He uppercut it in the face, then kicked it once again. He followed up with a knee in the stomach, then hammered it down. The android caught itself, flipping over.
Goku's new abilities go beyond anything I had anticipated, thought 20. If the opportunity for 19 to steal some energy does not soon arise, he will drain his power and begin to malfunction.
"It looks like we all get to live after all," said Tien.
"I'm not even worried anymore," said Krillin. "How about you, Gohan?"
"Yeah, I am," said Gohan. "My dad's just not himself. His attacks aren't even hurting the android. He might need our help!"
"You're being paranoid," said Tien. "Look at him. What could go wrong?"
Goku was delivering punch after punch to 19's face.
"Gohan's right," said Piccolo. "Goku's maxed out for some reason. He's going to give out if this keeps up!"
-DBZ: SGTW-
Are Gohan and Piccolo right? Is Goku truly not himself? Find out in the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
Word Count: 7,613
Mystery Revealed
"How in the world did you guys know I was going to be here?" asked Goku, landing on top of the crater.
"This guy told us," said Bulma. "He's a mystery man."
"But how?" The others weren't prepared for this. They'd expected Goku to know about this guy, not be completely clueless.
"He knew the exact time and place of your arrival," said Bulma.
"That's impossible. We've never even met!"
"He must have been tracking your ship in outer space!"
"I don't know," said Goku, putting his hand to his chin. "Frieza tried to do that, but I could sense his energy level as he passed me. He sure was in a hurry to beat me home." Goku gave his son a smile. "But I knew with Gohan here, I had nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, but this guy helped Gohan," said Piccolo. "They turned into Super Saiyans and picked Frieza apart."
"A Super Saiyan?" he asked, looking the stranger over. "That's fantastic! I mean, I knew Gohan could do it, but another one? I guess I really didn't have anything to worry about."
"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" asked Vegeta angrily. "You, your son and I are the only Saiyans left!"
"But he was a Super Saiyan, dad," said Gohan.
"Well, if he says he's a Super Saiyan," said Goku, "then that's good enough for me."
"Honestly, Goku, you take things way too lightly," said Bulma, shaking her head.
"Goku, Gohan," said the stranger. "Could I have a word with you two?"
"Us?" asked the two Sons together.
"Yes. In private."
"Alright then," said Goku. "Gohan, let's go."
"Right," said Gohan, following the stranger and his dad.
"Hey!" shouted Yamcha. "What's this guy trying to say?"
"We'll be right back!" shouted Goku, waving to the others. The three of them took off towards the far side of the crater caused by Goku's space ship.
"Thanks, guys," said the stranger.
"No problem," said Goku. "But shoot, I should be thanking you for helping Gohan beat Frieza. I had a chance to finish him, but I was only fooling myself, thinking he might change."
"Nope, not him," said the stranger. "He was out of control and you were supposed to stop him. When he landed and you weren't around, I had to step in. I didn't know about Gohan, and didn't think you'd make it."
Goku put a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Yeah, but I knew with Gohan here, I didn't have a thing to worry about. But I was ready to make my move at any moment."
"And just how were you going to make a move when you were two hours away in space?"
"Well, thanks to a technique I learned, I could have been there in seconds." Gohan looked at his father in awe.
"Are you serious?" asked the stranger, his eyes widening slightly.
"Yeah. It's called Instant Transmission."
The stranger turned to face Goku in shock. "You mean time travel?"
"No, you dematerialize and travel as a mass of light. You'd be surprised how much ground you can cover going 186,000 miles per second."
"No kidding? I had no idea you had that ability." Gohan was staring at his father, wondering where he picked up such a technique.
"Yeah, the people on Yardrat taught it to me. They weren't very strong, but they knew some amazing techniques."
"Man, what a bummer," said the stranger. "If I had known you didn't need help with Frieza, I could have come to you while you were alone and avoided the risk of meeting all the others."
"The risk?" asked Gohan. "What do you mean?"
"I don't mind answering that question, but first I have some of my own," said the stranger. "Goku, I know Gohan can, but can you transform into a Super Saiyan at will?"
"Well, at first I wasn't able to," said Goku. "It happened spontaneously. But now I can control it."
"All right then," said the stranger. "Can you show me?"
-DBZ: SGTW-
"I wonder what they're talking about." said Krillin. "They look pretty serious."
They're probably laughing at me, thought Vegeta. Me, the Prince of all Saiyans, the only Saiyan not a Super Saiyan.
-DBZ: SGTW-
"Okay," said Goku, a small smirk on his face. He powered up, transforming, sending some of the others into shock. "Are you satisfied?"
"Yes," said the stranger. "Today's been great for reminding me what it's like looking from the outside in."
"So, what now?" asked Goku.
"Gohan, would you transform?" asked the stranger. "I want to compare your and your dad's power levels."
"Right," said Gohan, transforming into a Super Saiyan.
Goku looked at his son, a smile on his face. My son is a Super Saiyan!
"I can't tell who's stronger," said the stranger, sensing their power levels. "There's only one way to find out." He transformed as well and drew his sword. "I've seen how Gohan fights, but now I want to see you fight." He swung his sword at Goku, who didn't even move. The stranger stopped to avoid hitting him.
"Why didn't you try and block it?" asked the stranger.
"I searched your feelings," said Goku, "and knew you were going to stop."
The stranger lowered his sword. "Yes, I see. This time, I'm not going to stop. You understand?"
"As you wish." Goku raised one finger and charged it with energy.
The stranger tried to hit Goku, who simply blocked the sword with his finger. After multiple more tries, and multiple more blocks, the stranger pulled back.
He dropped his transformation, throwing his sword into the air. "Awesome. Everything I've heard is true. You're good- no, you're great!" He leaned slightly to the side, his sword landing perfectly in it's sheath.
Gohan and Goku each dropped their transformations.
"I feel like I can trust you two," said the stranger, smiling. "I had to know that for sure."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"Man," said Yamcha. "Goku and Gohan are spectacular! And that other guy's no pushover compared to them either!"
Vegeta simply simmered in frustration. Blast you, Kakarot.
-DBZ: SGTW-
"I'm sorry about all of the secrecy," said the stranger, "but I really need both your words that you won't tell anybody else what I'm about to say."
"Well, I've never had a problem keeping secrets," said Goku, "but sure, you have my word."
"Mine too," said Gohan.
"Thank you," said the stranger. "My name is Trunks. This is going to sound really strange, but I'm not from this time. I traveled here in a time machine 20 years from the future."
"Really?" asked Goku, looking at Trunks with interest. "From the future? That's incredible!"
"Yes, Vegeta was right. Only he and you two have Saiyan blood. And I got mine from him. He's my father."
"WHAT?" shouted Goku as Gohan fell backwards onto the ground in shock. "YOU'RE KIDDING! WOW! YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT VEGETA'S YOUR FATHER?"
"Yes," said Trunks. "I'm half-Saiyan, half-Earthling, just like Gohan."
"Wow, Vegeta's son," said Gohan. The two Sons turned and studied Vegeta intently.
"Yes, I can see the resemblance!" said Goku.
"I will be born two years from now," said Trunks.
"Man!" said Goku, still staring at Vegeta. "Vegeta's going to be a daddy! Who would have thought-"
"Goku," said Trunks, interrupting Goku's ramble. "I didn't come here to tell you that. I have to talk to you about something." Goku and Gohan turned to face Trunks again.
"In three years, on the morning of May 12th, a horribly destructive duo will show up on an island nine miles southwest of South City. They have dreadful power, even by our standards. They're monsters. That's the best way I know to describe them. Once this pair surfaces, the Earth and everything you hold dear will be gone."
"What's the deal?" asked Goku, Gohan letting his father take lead. "Are they aliens?"
"No. They're both androids created right here on Earth. Their creator is Gero. Dr. Gero, the mastermind behind the old Red Ribbon Army. Do you remember?"
"Yeah!" said Goku. "I defeated them!"
-DBZ: SGTW-
"Man, for three guys who don't know each other," said Bulma, staring at the three, "they sure have a lot to talk about."
"Hey, talking isn't bad," said Krillin. "At least it's better than fighting."
"At least that one guy doesn't have his sword out anymore," said Yamcha.
"Yeah, and Goku put his finger away too."
-DBZ: SGTW-
"No way, same guy?" asked Goku. "But how? He lived?"
"Yes, thanks to you," said Trunks, his voice taking a bit of an edge. "That's one battle you're going to wish you'd fought to the very end. Look, I'm sorry to say that, Goku. I know you're a good person. But letting Dr. Gero escape is a mistake that will come back to haunt you and every one you know. He's probably working on that pair right now. It's hard to describe these androids, Goku. They're unlike anything you've ever faced."
"What's his plan?" asked Gohan. "What's Dr. Gero trying to accomplish with them?"
"No one really knows. The moment those things were able to think for themselves they rebelled. And they've had their own twisted, merciless agenda ever since then. They delight in causing pain and chaos. Living on Earth in my time is like living in a nightmare."
"Man," said Goku, "You and Gohan defeated Frieza in a flash, but from what you're saying these androids are even stronger than you."
"They are," said Trunks, lowering his head. "Hunting me down is one of their favorite hobbies. But it's two against one, and there's not much I can do except run."
"What about us and the others?" asked Gohan. "Aren't they helping you?"
"They can't," said Trunks. "They're dead. In three years, the Earth's Special Forces will be dead. Vegeta, Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Krillin, Piccolo. They're all going to lose their lives in a horrible battle. There will be only one survivor, and he's the one who trained me."
"Who is it?" asked Gohan.
"I... I can't say..." said Trunks. "It doesn't matter."
"You don't need to say it," said Gohan, thinking. "I noticed while we were fighting Frieza that you were fighting like you'd fought alongside me before. You even did some moves of Piccolo's that I recognized. I was your master, wasn't I?"
Goku and Trunks looked at Gohan in shock. Slowly, Trunks nodded his head. "But you weren't nearly as strong then as you are now. Somehow, someway, this time line is different than my own. In my time line, you didn't achieve Super Saiyan until after the battle, when you saw your family and friends were dead. That's one thing I was meaning to ask you. How did you get so strong so fast?"
"Well, I've been training with dad for as long as I can remember," answered Gohan. "Then Piccolo taught me. Then on Namek I became a Super Saiyan."
"That might account for some of the differences," said Trunks. "In my time line, your mother didn't let you train as a child. Your very first teacher was when Piccolo kidnapped you."
"Wow, you mean the me from your world didn't train with dad?" asked Gohan. "That's how mom wanted it, but you talked her into letting me train, didn't you, dad?"
"Yeah, I did," said Goku. "She wasn't too happy about it, let me tell you."
"Thirteen years after the battle," said Trunks, continuing with the story, "Gohan met his end at the hands of the androids. That was four years ago in my time. And, as you know, Piccolo is gone, so there's no chance of reviving anyone with the Dragon Balls."
"Hey, Trunks!" said Goku, realizing his name had not been included in the list of casualties. "What happens to me? Do I die in the battle too?"
Trunks looked at Goku. "No. You die before it. Not too long from now you're going to catch a new virus that attacks the heart. You're going to die from it."
Goku and Gohan both stared at Trunks in shock.
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It's a radical virus, not even a Super Saiyan can beat it."
"Darn it!" shouted Goku. "I want to fight those androids!"
"You mean after everything you've heard, you still want to fight those androids?" asked Trunks in shock.
"Yeah. Maybe I could make a difference!"
"Guy like you probably could," said Trunks, smiling. "My mother and Gohan were right about you, Goku. I really can trust you. I'm glad I can." He took a bottle out of his jacket. "Here you go. Take this. It's for your health, man. It's an antidote to the virus you're going to catch. In my time, there's a cure."
"WOW!" shouted Goku, ecstatic.
"I shouldn't be doing this, Goku," said Trunks. "It's going to change history. But some history should change. Things are pretty bad. But my mother told me you could make a difference. And now I know it too."
"Your mother knows me?" asked Goku. "Am I going to meet her, or do I already know her now?"
"Now," said Trunks, lowering his head.
"Wow! I know your mom! That's bizarre! Does she live by me or something?"
"She's standing right over there," said Trunks, pointing at the others.
"BULMA!" shouted Goku as both he and Gohan fell to the ground, laughing their heads off. "BULMA'S YOUR MOTHER?"
-DBZ: SGTW-
"That guy just pointed his finger and Kakarot and the kid fell down!" said Vegeta in shock.
"I could have sworn I heard Goku yell my name," said Bulma.
-DBZ: SGTW-
"Bulma and Vegeta?" asked Goku as he climbed to his feet. Gohan wasn't able to do that yet, as he was trying to catch his breath.
"They don't stay together long," said Trunks, blushing. "It's more of a passion thing. My mom and Yamcha split up, and she falls in love with my dad. Of course, he can never admit that he loves my mother."
"No shock there," said Goku. "I know them and they're the feistiest two people I know."
"I don't remember my dad, so it's really great that I get to meet him," said Trunks, looking at Vegeta. "He's a cranky guy, but he's impressive." He turned his attention to the other two. "I know it's bizarre, but they'll find their way to each other pretty soon. But if they get wind of it, it might not happen. Promise you won't tell them, Goku, Gohan, or I might not be born."
"Don't worry," said Goku. Behind him, Gohan held up a thumbs-up, still having difficulty breathing.
"Well, I'd better be off. My mother's been worried sick about me, and I'd better tell her everything went OK."
"Tell her I send my love," said Goku. He held up the bottle containing the antidote. "And thanks for this."
Trunks nodded and took off.
"Dad," said Gohan, climbing to his feet. "What are going to tell the others?"
"I'm not completely sure yet, Gohan," said Goku. "But we need to tell them they need to train hard for three years. But how much should we?"
The others had come running over. "So, what did that guy say?" asked Yamcha. "Who is he? Where's he from?"
"Uh, he didn't say anything important," said Goku, scratching the back of his head.
"It all sounded pretty important to me," said Piccolo. Goku and Gohan looked at him in shock.
"You heard everything?"
"My ears don't just frame my face, Goku," said Piccolo. "If you're not going to tell us and give us the chance to change our destinies, then I'm going to."
"But, Piccolo- didn't you hear him-" said Gohan.
"I won't say anything to endanger your friend, guys, but we deserve to know."
-DBZ: SGTW-
Later...
-DBZ: SGTW-
"And that's the whole story," said Piccolo. "In three years, all of us except Gohan are supposed to die in a battle with the androids. But now that we know, maybe we can change that."
"What a kook!" said Yamcha. "He's cracked! Don't you think?" he asked Bulma.
"I'm not so sure," replied Bulma.
"Look, believe what you want to believe," said Piccolo. "As for me, I want to live. So I'm going to train. You can risk it, but I'm going to be prepared."
"Look!" said Krillin, spotting something. "There he is!"
They followed Krillin's gaze and saw Trunks sitting in his time machine. He waved a hand goodbye, and vanished, off to the future once again.
"Man, I'm going to train, you guys," said Tien.
"Me too," said Yamcha.
"Yeah, I am too," said Krillin.
Vegeta barred his teeth. Another Super Saiyan. I've got to have it. I've got to experience it!
Chapter 32:
Z-Warriors Prepare
Yamcha glared at the capsule where Vegeta was training. He stopped practicing punches and began to walk over to the capsule. "I've got to see what Vegeta's up to in there. He thinks he's so tough training in that little capsule of his training at 300x Earths Gravity. Well, I'll show him that he's not half as tough as he pretends to be. I'll show him that I can be just as tough as he is."
He walked up to the window and looked in. Everything inside was shivering from the intense gravity.
"Initiate Gravity Simulation," said the gravity machine.
From what he saw, Vegeta was struggling to remain standing. Five robots were floating around him. Vegeta shot an energy blast at one, which deflected it towards another. It kept bouncing between the robots, occasionally heading towards Vegeta, who managed to dodge it. Finally, the blast made contact, and Vegeta hit the ground.
Vegeta managed to get his feet. He exploded his energy around him, destroying the robots.
Yamcha threw himself backwards, trying to avoid being blinded by the light. "Boy, talk about your radical training programs!"
-DBZ: SGTW-
Piccolo watched Gohan and Goku spar. They were both far stronger than he was, despite the fact that he'd improved in the past one and a half years since Trunks had warned them of the androids. He'd been training with them since he didn't really have any other options. Krillin and the other humans were far too weak. Vegeta would be a pretty even partner, but the Saiyan refused to allow anyone to train with him. So he'd come here with Goku and Gohan, where he would at least be guaranteed one heck of a workout.
Of course, Chi-Chi hadn't taken too kindly to the fact that Piccolo would be around for a while- before he told Gohan how the greatest warriors are both intelligent and strong. And realized he didn't eat, since he was a Namekian.
"Come on, dad," said Gohan after landing a punch on his father's stomach. "You can do better than that."
"Yeah, I know," said Goku. "But the only question is: can you?" He disappeared and reappeared behind his son, smashing him towards the ground.
Piccolo simply grinned. Gohan had gone far beyond him, and still, he and his father treated him as an equal. The complete opposite of Vegeta, who treated everybody like dirt.
Gohan caught himself after flying ten feet. Shooting towards his father, there was a burst of gold as he transformed, his father unable to transform himself in time to prevent Gohan delivering a direct blow to the head. He drew his sword quickly, placing it against his father's neck. "I win."
"Not bad," said Goku as Gohan put his sword back. "I didn't expect you to transform this early in the spar."
-DBZ: SGTW-
Vegeta watched as the robots bounced the energy blast between themselves. Dr. Briefs had repaired the robots, and Vegeta was back to his normal routine.
"I can do this," said Vegeta to himself.
The blast went soaring past him, grazing him. He fell to the ground in pain. He looked up just in time to see the energy blast come soaring at him. Reacting, he shot another energy blast. When the two collided, an explosion rocked the space ship, wrecking it.
Bulma and Yamcha came running out of the house. "Vegeta!" shouted Bulma. She got no answer. She and Yamcha stopped, looking over the destruction.
"I knew this would happen," said Yamcha. "He's been trying to do the impossible."
Bulma began digging through the wreckage. Suddenly, a hand shot out. Bulma backed up into Yamcha, knocking the two of them over. Vegeta pulled himself out of the wreckage and stood up.
"HOW DARE YOU, YOU DWEEB!" shouted Bulma angrily. "YOU ALMOST WRECKED MY HOUSE!"
Vegeta's response was to collapse. Bulma immediately dropped her attitude and ran forward to help him.
"No, I don't need help," said Vegeta. "I've got training to do."
"You've got to stop training for a while!" said Bulma. "I mean, look at you! You're a complete wreck!"
"But I feel fine! I'm a Saiyan! I can take a little pain, it means nothing to me. And I've got to get stronger than Kakarot and his son!"
"Okay, sure. We all know you're a tough guy, but you need to rest now!
"I take orders from no one!" said Vegeta, attempting to rise. He collapsed again, in obvious pain.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Gohan watched as his father and Piccolo sparred. Piccolo was holding up pretty well, but Goku was purposely holding back, not transforming to Super Saiyan.
Piccolo grinned. He knew he was nowhere near the caliber of Goku and Gohan, but at least they were at least giving him a chance. Vegeta would simply have tried to go all out on him from the start, and Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha were all strong, but he was still stronger.
"Not bad, Piccolo," said Goku. "You've improved. You're a lot stronger than you were."
"Thanks, Goku," said Piccolo. Piccolo launched an energy blast at Goku, which made direct contact, causing the Saiyan to plummet towards the ground.
Goku caught himself quickly. He shot back into the fight, not wasting a moment.
Gohan eased himself into a meditative position, already knowing how this fight was going to turn out. His father had a clear advantage in power. Since it was getting late, he knew that he wouldn't get to spar, because after this his father and Piccolo would be ready to call it a day.
I hope the others are training as hard as we are, thought Gohan. Because from what Trunks said, we're going to need all the help we can get against these androids.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Bulma, Yamcha, Dr. Briefs and his wife were at the bedside of Vegeta, who was in an intensive care unit in the CC building.
"Is he going to be alright, daddy?" asked Bulma to her father, kneeling at Vegeta's side.
"I hope so," answered Dr. Briefs. "The only thing he hasn't bruised is his eyebrows. "If he stays in bed for a week or so, he should be alright. It's a miracle he survived such a horrible accident."
"Poor Vegeta," said Mrs. Briefs, crying into a handkerchief. She and Dr. Briefs walked out.
Bulma followed them a moment later.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Krillin frowned as he readied himself for another Kamehameha.
Why did I have to turn down Goku's offer? thought Krillin to himself. At least if I was training with him, Gohan, and Piccolo I'd be getting a good workout. Master Roshi had done absolutely nothing to help Krillin train.
"Ka... me... ha..." began the monk
"HEY, KRILLIN!" shouted Master Roshi from where he was sitting. "Why don't you give it a rest for a while? You know what they say: all work and no play-"
"MEHA!" finished Krillin, drowning out the rest of Master Roshi's words.
-DBZ: SGTW-
The view screen in the newly repaired space ship flickered on, Bulma's image glowering down at Vegeta, who was doing one-finger push-ups, despite the fact that he was heavily bandaged.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked the Saiyan. "You are in no condition to be training."
Vegeta simply ignored her and continued with his push-ups.
"I know you don't want to believe it, but you are made of flesh and blood!" shouted Bulma.
"Stop pestering me," said Vegeta. "Leave me alone!" Just then, he collapsed to the ground, in pain.
"You know that I'm right, so why don't you keep quiet and do as I say!" Vegeta began to climb to his feet. "Nothing to say? Why don't you go back to bed and get some rest."
"Not yet. I do have something to say! LEAVE ME ALONE!"
-DBZ: SGTW-
Three Years Later...
-DBZ: SGTW-
-Morning of May 10th-
The Son Family's phone rang. Chi-Chi had gotten a phone after realizing nobody had any way of contacting her when Gohan had been kidnapped by Piccolo and Goku had died.
Chi-Chi answered, since Goku and Gohan were immersed in their breakfasts. Piccolo had gone off to do his own training a few months ago. In that time, Goku had taught Gohan a few new tricks. "Hello? Oh, hi, Bulma! How are you?"
"Fine, Chi-Chi. The others are all gathering at my place for a little reunion and planning session, and I was wondering if you guys are coming?"
"One moment, let me ask the boys if they don't feel like training today." She turned to Goku and Gohan. "You guys want to go to Capsule Corp. today? The others are all getting together."
Goku and Gohan both looked up from their food for a split second and nodded their approval. "They'll head over as soon as they're finished," said Chi-Chi to Bulma.
"See them in a little."
Chi-Chi set the phone down and resumed the dishes she'd been doing before the phone had rang. With two Saiyans to feed, she had a monumental task getting food ready every day. Of course, today, with Bulma feeding them... she'd be able to relax.
"Alright, Chi-Chi," said Goku getting up. "We'll see you later." The two raised their fingers to their heads and disappeared.
"I hate it when they do that," said Chi-Chi. "Why, Goku, did you have to teach our little boy that Instant Transmission technique?"
-DBZ: SGTW-
"So, Krillin," asked Tien, sitting down opposite him, "how've you been?"
"Oh, busy training," said Krillin. "How about you?"
"Same. Chiaotzu couldn't make it. I don't want to risk him getting hurt. He's just not strong enough."
Just then, they were distracted by Goku and Gohan suddenly appearing in the middle of the room. "Hey, guys," said Goku. "What's up?"
"Goku!" shouted Krillin, walking over to his friend. "It's been a long time. How have you been?"
"Very good," said Goku. "Gohan, Piccolo and I have been training very hard. We're a lot stronger than we were."
"Hey, Krillin," said Gohan from where he was. Krillin turned to face Gohan- then was forced to look up from where he had been expecting to see Gohan's face.
"Man, Gohan. You're a lot taller than you were three years ago!" It was true- the top of the half-Saiyan's hair was even with Krillin's eyes.
Bulma walked in. She spotted Goku and Gohan. "Hey, how did you guys get here so quickly? I set the phone down not two minutes ago!"
"Instant Transmission," said Goku simply. He then noticed the baby Bulma was carrying.
"Hey, Bulma," said Gohan, acting perfectly like he didn't know about the baby beforehand. "Who's the baby? Is he your son, Yamcha?"
"No, he's not mine," said the bandit, crossing his arms, irritated. "Wait until she tells you who the father really is."
"I bet it's Vegeta!" said Goku, walking up to baby Trunks. "Isn't it, Trunks?"
Gohan rolled his eyes. So much for smooth.
"Goku, who told you?" asked Bulma, a little confused. "I wanted to keep it a surprise?"
"While we're on the subject," said Gohan, covering his father's tracks, "where is Vegeta anyways?"
"I'm not sure," said Bulma. "I know he was training to fight the androids, but with the baby and all, I lost track of him."
"He'll be here before the androids appear," said Goku confidently.
Gohan was a little nervous. If Vegeta's managed to reach Super Saiyan, he's going to be coming after me and Dad after we deal with the androids.
They were interrupted by an outburst of laughter from Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin.
"Oh, man," said Yamcha, staring at the television. "What's the world coming to where a guy like that gets that much attention?"
The others looked at the television. There was a man wearing a brown fighting gi celebrating over his latest victory in some tournament. The crowd was eating it up, chanting "MR. SATAN! MR. SATAN!"
"Man, I wish they'd bring back the World Martial Arts Tournament," said Yamcha. "So many good memories of those things.
"Yeah, but they had to rebuild after Goku and Piccolo's fight," said Tien. "Something tells me they don't want another fight like that. It blew up half the city around the stadium!"
The others laughed, reminiscing of old times.
"So, Goku, Gohan," asked Tien. "You guys think you're ready?"
"I hope so," said Goku. "We've done all we can. Chi-Chi hasn't been too happy about us training all the time, let me tell you. Of course, Gohan's been studying as well, so she can't complain too much."
"I just wish we had more time," said Piccolo, walking in at that moment. He surveyed room without any sign of surprise, except a little jump when he saw Trunks (which was faked, as Goku and Gohan knew).
"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Krillin, downcast. "But we still should be grateful for the fact that that kid came and warned us. Otherwise, it'd be his future all over again."
"Maybe not," said Gohan. "That kid said I was far stronger three years ago than I was in his time line at that time. I just wonder how our time lines differed before he came back."
The others were not too interested in this intellectual vein the conversation was starting to take. "Hey, Piccolo," said Yamcha. "Remember your fight with Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament?"
"How could I forget?" asked the Namek, a small smirk on his face.
Just then, Gohan noticed something a little odd on the television screen. It was an old man the cameras had just swept over, by himself not too weird, but for the insignia on his cylinder-like hat.
"Dad, look at that guy on the TV," said Gohan. "See the symbol on his hat? Isn't that the Red Ribbon Army's logo?"
"Yeah, you're right," said Goku. "What's he doing wearing it?"
Bulma bit her lip. She could have sworn she'd seen the old man before, in some magazine, but wasn't certain.
"Do you guys think he could be one of the androids?" asked Yamcha, now completely focused on the screen. "It's not May 12th yet, but maybe the kid was wrong."
"Unless something happens there," said Goku, "we'll assume he's not one of them. But remember what he looks like. Until then, we'll play this through like we never saw him."
The others nodded.
-DBZ: SGTW-
What is the meaning of the mysterious old man? What was he doing at the tournament? And more importantly, are the warriors strong enough to defeat the androids? Find out in the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
Chapter 33:
Androids Appear
"You two be careful," said Chi-Chi to her husband and son.
"Don't worry, mom," said Gohan. "We'll be fine. We're all a lot stronger than we would have been."
Chi-Chi simply smiled. Her son was turning more and more like his father every day- except smarter. He did try to study, too, so she couldn't be mad at him.
The two shot off, heading towards where the Androids were supposed to appear.
They caught up to Krillin relatively quickly. "So, today's the day everything comes down to," said Krillin.
"Yeah," said Goku. "Hard to believe it's really here."
"But we're a lot stronger than we were in the kid's time line," said Gohan. "So we should be able to defeat them."
"If only I'd had more time!" said Krillin. "I could have gotten stronger. There's so much more I could have done!"
"Hey, we've done everything we could," said Goku. "We'll be fine. I wasn't around in that time line, remember?"
Krillin nodded, calming down. Goku's presence had a tendency to have that effect. He was always calm, even going into battle against evils like Frieza and the Saiyans.
"That must be the island!" said Gohan, looking forward. Sure enough, their course was taking them directly towards an island, exactly where Trunks had told them the androids would emerge.
They landed. Piccolo, Yamcha, and Tien were already waiting for them. Bulma was there, but she was going to get out of there if things got rough.
"Hey guys," said Yamcha as the three landed. "Glad you could make it."
"So this is it, huh?" asked Tien. "This is the day we've all been training for."
"Yeah," said Krillin. "You guys think you're ready?"
"I'm as ready as I can get," said Goku. Gohan nodded behind him.
"I wish I had more time," said Krillin. "But it's better to get it over with and face what's coming."
Gohan turned to face Bulma. "So Vegeta's still not back yet?"
She shook her head sadly. "No, he's not. I'm worried. I thought for sure he'd be back by now, and I just don't know what's taking him so long."
Just then, an air car came flying up, and Yajirobe hopped out. "Hey. Korin sent me to give you these." He tossed a bag full of Sensu beans to Goku.
"Thanks, Yajirobe!" said Goku. "You sure you don't want to stay and help us fight the androids?"
"Are you crazy?" The fat warrior climbed back into his air car. "I'm getting out of here before they show up."
"Anyone know what time it is?" asked Tien as Yajirobe took off.
"Yeah, it's 10:17," said Bulma.
"I guess they're not coming after all," said Yamcha, annoyed. "Man, to think I really believed that kid."
"Hey, guys, don't be so literal. It's only 17 minutes after 10."
"I think we would have sensed them by now," said Tien.
Just then, there was an explosion over the city. Looking up, they saw Yajirobe's air car falling out of the sky, trailing smoke.
"THEY'RE RIGHT THERE!" shouted Piccolo. The others followed his gaze and spotted two figures. They went down into the city below.
Gohan raised his fingers to his forehead and vanished, reappearing moments later with Yajirobe.
"Why can't we sense them?" asked Tien.
"Maybe..." said Gohan, getting worried, "we can't because they're androids!"
"Then we'll just have to find them the old fashioned way," said Piccolo.
Goku tossed the Sensu beans to Bulma. "Keep these," he said. "Alright guys, let's go. Raise your power levels if you spot the androids. And if you see that one guy we saw on TV, assume the worst." The six shot off, separating, searching for the androids.
Goku set down, looking around. They saw no sign of the androids anywhere.
Krillin set down directly in front of a skate boarder. He glanced around. Turning to the skate boarder, he asked, "Have you seen anyone weird around here?"
The skate boarder nodded and pointed directly at Krillin. "Yeah, you!"
Meanwhile, Yamcha was running around, looking for anything suspicious, when he heard a scream. Running to investigate, he found numerous dead bodies.
He turned to two people who were looking out of a window. "Did you guys see who did this?"
"There were two of them," said one of them. "They came out of nowhere, then disappeared."
"I must have just missed them," said Yamcha. He turned around and saw two people standing directly behind him. "Hey, have you guys-" then broke off, recognizing the taller of the two. It was the old man from the television.
"It's you!" he said. Jumping backwards, he quickly powered up, alerting the others.
Within seconds, Goku and Gohan had appeared at his side using Instant Transmission, and the others were moving in as fast as they could.
"It's him," said Gohan. "The one on the television. At that tournament."
"These must be the big bad androids," said Piccolo, setting down.
The android from TV looked at Piccolo. "I see I was not stealthy when attending that tournament," he said. "I had expected to find at least a few of you there. But I find it surprising that you know we are androids. Of course, I find it even more surprising that all of you should have anticipated our being here. Tell me, how did you know we would come?"
"If you're so tough, why don't you try and make us?"
"Very well," said the android. The six got into their defensive stances.
"There are way too many innocent people here," said Goku, looking around. "We've got to lead them out of the city."
"Yes," said the android. "It is too crowded here. I agree. Many people could get in our way. I will see to it that they do not." His eyes began to glow red, and laser beams shot out of them.
He shot a gas station, causing a massive explosion. Swiveling his head like a sprinkler of death, the laser beams swept through the city, decimating it.
"STOP IT!" screamed Yamcha, approaching the android. The other android merely grabbed him. Then, after five seconds, he threw him down. Yamcha lay there, shivering.
"His power level dropped significantly," said Piccolo. "He's not going to make it unless we do something!"
"Gohan, take Yamcha to Bulma and get him a Sensu bean," said Goku. "When he's back on his feet, catch up to us."
"Right," said Gohan, grabbing Yamcha. He raised his fingers to his forehead and vanished.
"So," said the taller android. "I cleared the area in accordance with your wishes. Do you disagree with my methods?"
"LEAVE THESE PEOPLE OUT OF THIS!" shouted Goku.
"There are no more people to leave out," said the shorter android.
"Very well," said the taller android. "We shall follow you to a different location, if it is your desire, Goku."
"How did you know his name was Goku?" asked Tien.
"I know all of you. The Namek, Piccolo, the humans, Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin, and the boy, Gohan."
Just then, they were alerted by a pack of police cars racing to the scene. "Let's get acquainted later," said Goku. The four defenders shot into the sky, the androids following."
-DBZ: SGTW-
Bulma was shocked when Gohan suddenly reappeared. He set Yamcha down. "Bulma, Yamcha need a Sensu bean!"
"What happened to him?" asked Bulma, getting one of the beans out.
Gohan took it and put it into Yamcha's mouth. Yamcha swallowed and rose seconds later. He immediately surveyed the destruction.
"They just blew up half the city, and nearly me!" said Yamcha.
"We'd better get going," said Gohan. He watched as the four Z-Warriors and two androids took off. "Dad must have convinced them to leave the city."
Yamcha hesitated for a moment. "Alright. Let's go."
Gohan placed his hand on Yamcha's shoulder, raised his fingers to his head again, and disappeared.
-DBZ: SGTW-
Goku was looking for a good place to fight when he sensed Gohan and Yamcha return. The androids looked at the two in interest.
"This is far enough," said the taller android. "19 and I will fight you here."
"Fine by me," said Goku. There were no towns or people nearby. They set down, surrounding the androids.
Goku was wincing in slight pain. Gohan stared at his father. "You alright, dad?"
"I'm fine," said Goku. "Before we get this little show started, I want to know how you know our names."
"Yes of course," said the taller android, "as you wish. Though I doubt it will matter after a few moments anyways, when you have been ground to a pulp. But if this is the last thing you wish to hear before you die, I will tell you. You have been under close observation for some time, by a highly sophisticated remote tracking device. This device was calibrated to home in on your very distinct energy pattern."
"So you've been spying on me?" asked Goku.
"If that is how you put it, then yes. It was planted on you during the World Martial Arts Tournament, when you were still a boy. From that day forward your every movement was monitored, your fighting technique studied, the secrets of your Kamehameha wave revealed. Over the years Dr. Gero followed your many battles. He witnessed your skills develop at a remarkable rate. By watching, he learned. You were studied until Dr. Gero gathered enough information to create the perfect fighting machine. Powerful machines. Machines fully capable of destroying you, the way you destroyed the Red Ribbon army."
"This is just a grudge?" asked Goku, a little bewildered.
"From the day you defeated the Red Ribbon army, Dr. Gero dreamed only of revenge. We will realize his dream."
"So you're supposed to be one of these perfect fighting machines?" asked Gohan.
"Yes I am. I have been designed by my creator to be superior to you in every possible way. A shame he did not live to see this day."
"I'm curious," said Goku. "Was he spying on me while I was on Planet Namek?"
"There was no more need. By that time Dr. Gero had compiled all of the necessary information concerning your skills. It was assumed your power would continue to increase over that time, so that was factored into our design."
Goku grinned at this. "You might think you know everything there is to know about me, but you're not even close."
"Did your calculations predict that Goku would be a Super Saiyan?" asked Piccolo, smiling.
"Super Saiyan?" asked the android.
Goku started screaming. His eyes turned green, his hair stood up and turned blond, his aura turning golden. "You guys stay out of this. It looks like they only want me, and that's exactly who they're going to get."
"This is a most unexpected development indeed," said the android.
"This technique is not listed in my files, 20," said 19.
"Nor in mine. But my sensors indicate that there is no cause for concern. Yes, it is a most impressive ability, but it is nothing we cannot handle. 19 will demonstrate this by himself." The plump android stepped forward.
"Alright, have it your way," said Goku. "But I wouldn't bank on it if I were you." He shot at the two androids.
18 was ready to deflect the blow when all of a sudden Goku disappeared and reappeared behind him. The android launched a kick at Goku, who blocked it. It tried to launch a few more blows at the Saiyan, but Goku managed to dodge or block them all.
Finally, the android dropped back, hopping over a huge rock formation. Goku leapt after it. The android blew up the top of the mountain using an energy blast. Shooting a second, it thought it had hit the Saiyan, but Goku shot down from directly above it and landed behind it, elbowing it in the back and into a nearby cliff.
"That's it Goku," said Tien, smiling. Android 20's eyes were wide and his teeth clenched together in surprise. Gohan and Piccolo looked on, not saying anything.
Somethings wrong with dad, thought Gohan. He looked at Piccolo, who nodded. He'd noticed it too. Gohan turned his attention back to the fight.
19 climbed out of the rubble and ran at Goku. He stopped the android with one hand, then kicked it into the sky. He disappeared and reappeared behind the android, who turned around and tried to hit Goku. He managed to dodge every punch it threw, then kicked it in the stomach, knocking it backwards.
It flew at him again, and he flipped over and kneed it in the stomach again. He then elbowed it in the face.
"Man, Goku's all over that thing," said Tien.
"He's dominating!" said Krillin. "That thing hasn't even touched him yet."
"He's got it in the bag!" agreed Yamcha, smiling.
"Maybe," said Gohan, watching his father fight.
Meanwhile, Goku was delivering blow after blow to the android, which wasn't fast enough to block any of the blows. He drew back, catching his breath.
"Dad's not even close to his max and he's tired," said Gohan, concerned.
Goku charged back into combat, hitting the android with everything he had again. He uppercut it in the face, then kicked it once again. He followed up with a knee in the stomach, then hammered it down. The android caught itself, flipping over.
Goku's new abilities go beyond anything I had anticipated, thought 20. If the opportunity for 19 to steal some energy does not soon arise, he will drain his power and begin to malfunction.
"It looks like we all get to live after all," said Tien.
"I'm not even worried anymore," said Krillin. "How about you, Gohan?"
"Yeah, I am," said Gohan. "My dad's just not himself. His attacks aren't even hurting the android. He might need our help!"
"You're being paranoid," said Tien. "Look at him. What could go wrong?"
Goku was delivering punch after punch to 19's face.
"Gohan's right," said Piccolo. "Goku's maxed out for some reason. He's going to give out if this keeps up!"
-DBZ: SGTW-
Are Gohan and Piccolo right? Is Goku truly not himself? Find out in the next chapter of DBZ: Son Gohan the Warrior!
Word Count: 7,613